trace-mcp@3.30.1

⚠ Under review

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AI Security Review

scanned 25d ago · by lpm-firewall-ai

Inspected install hooks and agent path hints show package-owned launcher, launchd, and publisher-repo app update behavior, not a foreign control-surface hijack or hidden payload. Marking the package clean is blocked because sixteen required citation paths exceed the eight-citation limit, so the review stays unresolved.

Static reason

One or more suspicious static signals were detected.; source matched previously finalized malicious package; routed for review

Trigger

npm postinstall, with a clean publication decision blocked by citation capacity.

Impact

No confirmed compromise of credentials, foreign agent config, or unrelated hosts. The remaining limit is review coverage, not an identified payload.

Mechanism

Local scripts write the package home directory and its own LaunchAgent, and may download a publisher release for a legacy app bundle. Inspected hook code does not write foreign agent configuration.

AI rationale

Decision evidence

public snapshot

AI called this Manual Review at 62.0% confidence as Unknown with medium false-positive risk.

AI review observations

package.json postinstall runs local scripts preflight-native.mjs, postinstall-app.mjs, and postinstall-control-plane.mjs.
The control-plane hook exits when TRACE_MCP_NO_POSTINSTALL is set or the tree is a dev checkout, then writes this package's ~/.trace launcher and its own LaunchAgent, and skips launchd when daemon.disabled exists.
Desktop update fetches default to the publisher repo nikolai-vysotskyi/trace-mcp.
The Claude plugin file only declares an mcpServers command and is not installed into a user agent config by the postinstall hook.
The hinted dist/proxy.js lines define home-directory path constants for agent project folders.
A clean verdict cannot be published: sixteen required citation paths exceed the eight-citation cap, and no separate malicious chain was found.

Evidence against

Postinstall can bootstrap com.trace-mcp.server and, on macOS, download a publisher release to refresh a legacy desktop bundle.
Agent home paths are referenced in the bundle, which is expected for an MCP code-intelligence server and was not shown to be written from the install hook.

Behavioral surface

Source & flagged code

26 flagged

package.jsonView file

•scripts.postinstall = node scripts/preflight-native.mjs && node scripts/postinstall-app.mjs && node scripts/postinstall-control-plane.mjs

High

Install Time Lifecycle Scripts

Package defines install-time lifecycle scripts.

package.jsonView on unpkg

•scripts.postinstall = node scripts/preflight-native.mjs && node scripts/postinstall-app.mjs && node scripts/postinstall-control-plane.mjs

Medium

Ambiguous Install Lifecycle Script

Install-time lifecycle script is not statically allowlisted and needs review.

package.jsonView on unpkg

dist/proxy.jsView file

27353// src/daemon/lifecycle.ts L27354: import { execSync, execFileSync as execFileSync2, spawn } from "child_process"; L27355: import fs11 from "fs";

High

Child Process

Package source references child process execution.

dist/proxy.jsView on unpkg · L27353

2474function hasPreloadFlags() { L2475: const execArgv = process.execArgv; L2476: for (let i = 0; i < execArgv.length; i++) {

High

Shell

Package source references shell execution.

dist/proxy.jsView on unpkg · L2474

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = trace-mcp@3.25.1 matchedPath = dist/proxy.js matchedIdentity = npm:dHJhY2UtbWNw:3.25.1 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

dist/proxy.jsView on unpkg

2import { createRequire as __tmcpCreateRequire } from 'node:module'; L3: const require = __tmcpCreateRequire(import.meta.url); L4: var __create = Object.create;

Medium

Dynamic Require

Package source references dynamic require/import behavior.

dist/proxy.jsView on unpkg · L2

1103for (var i = 0; i < flen; ) { L1104: if (f.charCodeAt(i) === 37 && i + 1 < flen) { L1105: lastPos = lastPos > -1 ? lastPos : 0; ... L1338: fsWriteSync = () => fs17.writeSync(this.fd, this._writingBuf); L1339: fsWrite = () => fs17.write(this.fd, this._writingBuf, this.release); L1340: } else if (contentMode === void 0 || contentMode === kContentModeUtf8) { ... L1903: L1904: // node_modules/.pnpm/thread-stream@4.0.0/node_modules/thread-stream/package.json L1905: var require_package = __commonJS({ ... L1943: type: "git", L1944: url: "git+https://github.com/mcollina/thread-stream.git" L1945: },

Medium

Install Persistence

Source writes installer persistence such as shell profile or service configuration.

dist/proxy.jsView on unpkg · L1103

scripts/capture-screenshots.mjs#virtual:normalized:round1View file

390// six grey placeholders is exactly the failure this pipeline exists to avoid. L391: const dashboard = `http://127.0.0.1:${DEMO_DAEMON_PORT}/api/dashboard`; L392: await fetch(`${dashboard}/refresh`, { method: "POST" }); ... L402: * The guard"s health comes from a heartbeat an attached agent session writes.\n * A capture has no agent, so without this the showcase screenshot ships a red\n * \"Not running\" ba... L403: * policy") — the window comes up blank. Assigning `location.href` inside the\n * document keeps the app's own file origin, exactly as the main process does.\n */\nasync function na... L404: return;

High

Same File Env Network Execution

A single source file combines environment access, network access, and code or shell execution; review context before blocking.

scripts/capture-screenshots.mjs#virtual:normalized:round1View on unpkg · L390

390// six grey placeholders is exactly the failure this pipeline exists to avoid. L391: const dashboard = `http://127.0.0.1:${DEMO_DAEMON_PORT}/api/dashboard`; L392: await fetch(`${dashboard}/refresh`, { method: "POST" }); ... L401: /** L402: * The guard"s health comes from a heartbeat an attached agent session writes.\n * A capture has no agent, so without this the showcase screenshot ships a red\n * \"Not running\" ba... L403: * policy") — the window comes up blank. Assigning `location.href` inside the\n * document keeps the app's own file origin, exactly as the main process does.\n */\nasync function na... L404: return;

High

Command Output Exfiltration

Source combines command execution, command-output handling, and outbound requests; review data flow before blocking.

scripts/capture-screenshots.mjs#virtual:normalized:round1View on unpkg · L390

scripts/verify-upgrade-path.mjsView file

25L26: import { execFileSync } from 'node:child_process'; L27: import fs from 'node:fs'; ... L34: L35: if (process.platform !== 'darwin') { L36: console.log('skip: macOS only'); ... L48: const repoRoot = path.resolve(new URL('..', import.meta.url).pathname); L49: const expected = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(repoRoot, 'package.json'), 'utf-8')).version; L50: ... L62: try { L63: const res = await fetch(`https://api.github.com/repos/${REPO}/releases?per_page=10`, { L64: headers: { 'User-Agent': 'trace-mcp' },

High

Sandbox Evasion Gated Capability

Source gates dangerous network, credential, or execution behavior behind CI, host, platform, time, or geo fingerprint checks.

scripts/verify-upgrade-path.mjsView on unpkg · L25

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = trace-mcp@3.25.1 matchedPath = scripts/verify-upgrade-path.mjs matchedIdentity = npm:dHJhY2UtbWNw:3.25.1 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

scripts/verify-upgrade-path.mjsView on unpkg

scripts/record-wire-fixtures.tsView file

20* Usage: L21: * npx tsx scripts/record-wire-fixtures.ts [--project <root>] [--port <port>] L22: * ... L25: */ L26: import { spawn } from 'node:child_process'; L27: import fs from 'node:fs';

High

Runtime Package Install

Package source invokes a package manager install command at runtime.

scripts/record-wire-fixtures.tsView on unpkg · L20

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = trace-mcp@3.25.1 matchedPath = scripts/record-wire-fixtures.ts matchedIdentity = npm:dHJhY2UtbWNw:3.25.1 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

scripts/record-wire-fixtures.tsView on unpkg

hooks/trace-mcp-reindex.shView file

•path = hooks/trace-mcp-reindex.sh kind = build_helper sizeBytes = 8298 magicHex = [redacted]

Medium

Ships Build Helper

Package ships non-JavaScript build or shell helper files.

hooks/trace-mcp-reindex.shView on unpkg

dist/snapshot-backend.jsView file

•path = dist/snapshot-backend.js kind = oversized_source_file sizeBytes = 11215161 magicHex = [redacted]

Medium

Oversized Source File

Package contains source files above the normal full-analysis size ceiling.

dist/snapshot-backend.jsView on unpkg

dist/cli.jsView file

•path = dist/cli.js kind = oversized_cli_entrypoint sizeBytes = 13025000 magicHex = [redacted]

Medium

Oversized Cli Entrypoint

Package contains an oversized executable-looking CLI entrypoint.

dist/cli.jsView on unpkg

scripts/bench-index-throughput.ts#virtual:normalized:round1View file

•stage = ast_semantic_analysis; reason = ast_parse_error; limitedFiles = 8

High

Semantic Analysis Limited

A bounded semantic-analysis stage reached its safety limit; remaining detectors completed, but this package requires AI review.

scripts/bench-index-throughput.ts#virtual:normalized:round1View on unpkg

scripts/capture-screenshots.mjsView file

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = trace-mcp@3.25.1 matchedPath = scripts/capture-screenshots.mjs matchedIdentity = npm:dHJhY2UtbWNw:3.25.1 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

scripts/capture-screenshots.mjsView on unpkg

scripts/postinstall-app.mjsView file

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = trace-mcp@3.25.1 matchedPath = scripts/postinstall-app.mjs matchedIdentity = npm:dHJhY2UtbWNw:3.25.1 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

scripts/postinstall-app.mjsView on unpkg

scripts/verify-win-update.mjsView file

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = trace-mcp@3.25.1 matchedPath = scripts/verify-win-update.mjs matchedIdentity = npm:dHJhY2UtbWNw:3.25.1 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

scripts/verify-win-update.mjsView on unpkg

scripts/bench-session-scaling.tsView file

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = trace-mcp@3.25.1 matchedPath = scripts/bench-session-scaling.ts matchedIdentity = npm:dHJhY2UtbWNw:3.25.1 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

scripts/bench-session-scaling.tsView on unpkg

scripts/gen-readme-banner.mjsView file

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = trace-mcp@3.25.1 matchedPath = scripts/gen-readme-banner.mjs matchedIdentity = npm:dHJhY2UtbWNw:3.25.1 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

scripts/gen-readme-banner.mjsView on unpkg

scripts/gen-sitemap.mjsView file

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = trace-mcp@3.25.1 matchedPath = scripts/gen-sitemap.mjs matchedIdentity = npm:dHJhY2UtbWNw:3.25.1 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

scripts/gen-sitemap.mjsView on unpkg

scripts/perf/daemon-query-alloc.mjsView file

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = trace-mcp@3.25.1 matchedPath = scripts/perf/daemon-query-alloc.mjs matchedIdentity = npm:dHJhY2UtbWNw:3.25.1 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

scripts/perf/daemon-query-alloc.mjsView on unpkg

scripts/perf/daemon-serving-rss.mjsView file

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = trace-mcp@3.25.1 matchedPath = scripts/perf/daemon-serving-rss.mjs matchedIdentity = npm:dHJhY2UtbWNw:3.25.1 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

scripts/perf/daemon-serving-rss.mjsView on unpkg

scripts/postinstall-control-plane.mjsView file

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = trace-mcp@3.25.1 matchedPath = scripts/postinstall-control-plane.mjs matchedIdentity = npm:dHJhY2UtbWNw:3.25.1 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

scripts/postinstall-control-plane.mjsView on unpkg

Source & flagged code

26 flagged · loading source

package.jsonView file

•scripts.postinstall = node scripts/preflight-native.mjs && node scripts/postinstall-app.mjs && node scripts/postinstall-control-plane.mjs

High

Install Time Lifecycle Scripts

Package defines install-time lifecycle scripts.

package.jsonView on unpkg

•scripts.postinstall = node scripts/preflight-native.mjs && node scripts/postinstall-app.mjs && node scripts/postinstall-control-plane.mjs

Medium

Ambiguous Install Lifecycle Script

Install-time lifecycle script is not statically allowlisted and needs review.

package.jsonView on unpkg

dist/proxy.jsView file

27353// src/daemon/lifecycle.ts L27354: import { execSync, execFileSync as execFileSync2, spawn } from "child_process"; L27355: import fs11 from "fs";

High

Child Process

Package source references child process execution.

dist/proxy.jsView on unpkg · L27353

Findings

20 High9 Medium6 Low

HighInstall Time Lifecycle Scriptspackage.json

HighChild Processdist/proxy.js

HighShelldist/proxy.js

HighSame File Env Network Executionscripts/capture-screenshots.mjs#virtual:normalized:round1

HighCommand Output Exfiltrationscripts/capture-screenshots.mjs#virtual:normalized:round1

HighSandbox Evasion Gated Capabilityscripts/verify-upgrade-path.mjs

HighRuntime Package Installscripts/record-wire-fixtures.ts

HighSemantic Analysis Limitedscripts/bench-index-throughput.ts#virtual:normalized:round1

HighKnown Malware Source Similarityscripts/capture-screenshots.mjs

HighKnown Malware Source Similarityscripts/postinstall-app.mjs

High

Affected versions and remediation

This report applies to trace-mcp@3.30.1.

See all versions of trace-mcp for other recorded verdicts.

Review the evidence and your use of trace-mcp@3.30.1 before allowing it. Restrict the permissions described in this report.
Choose an independently verified alternative or release. This report does not establish that other versions are safe.

Evidence last updated: 2026-09-27 22:30:58.953Z (UTC).

Think this verdict is wrong? Dispute it on GitHub or read how reports are produced.

AI Security Review

Decision evidence

Source & flagged code

Source & flagged code

Findings

Affected versions and remediation

Runtime surface

Behavioral surface

Source & flagged code